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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Gone Conferencing

Renoir - Two Girls Reading in the Garden

It's September 19, 2012. That means that today's the day I start my trek to the annual ACFW Conference. This year it's in Dallas. And my flight leaves at 8-something on Thursday morning. Which means I have to get to the airport by 6-something. And since the closest airport is 2.5 hours away...that means we're heading down the road tonight and staying with friends who live closer to it. ;-)

It also, of course, means that usual blogging is put on hold because, while I'm scheduling this early so could, logically, schedule normal programming...well, I'm busy, LOL. I have a lot of things to get squared away before I can go.

And wanted to pause to think about conference. =) It was at my first-ever ACFW Conference in 2007 that I met Stephanie Morrill, who soon joined my critique group and not long after that eased from mere acquaintance to best friend. At that same conference, I met my first agent, who signed me that following December.

At my next conference in 2009, I met my editor at Harvest House. And pitched her a contemporary, LOL. Needless to say, that particular manuscript was not accepted by Harvest House, but nevertheless I hit it off with the editor, and checking in on the contemporary allowed me to ask what they might be looking for by way of historical, which eventually lead to Ring of Secrets. Two years later, yes, but it all came from that first meeting. =)

Last year I got to hang with my then-new agent (first one retired) Karen Ball, meet with my editor at Summerside, hear my soon-to-be-official editor from Harvest gush about the 75% she'd read of Ring of Secrets and tell me when it would be going to committee. Karen had advised I come prepared to pitch everything I had, LOL, so I met with my requisite two editors that I'd never met before...and kinda had a feeling those meetings weren't where my next step lay. Which was proven when a month later I got the news about Harvest buying the three-book Culper Ring Series.

This year, my goals are simple. For the first time of my now-four ACFW conferences, I'm not pitching anything. I'm not up for any awards (not that that is a first, LOL). And so I am looking forward to doing all I can to be a blessing to others this year. I'm volunteering more, I'm going to three different publisher get-togethers (including the one I'm hosting for WhiteFire *grins*), I'm hanging out, I'm having coffee, and I'm rooming with that best bud I met in 2007. I'm going for the fellowship. And I'm praying for opportunities to give to others the blessings folks at conferences past have given to me.

And I'm looking forward to sharing with everyone when I get back how God moved this year. Because what I know for a fact is that He will.